The Queen is Not Dead (Rewritten Version)

Part One - Chapter One

Moonwatcher

Moonwatcher awoke in a cold sweat. Breathing heavily, her eyes scanned her dark dorm. Careful not to wake Kinkajou, she silently slid off of her moss bed, talons giving a silent clatter as she left the cave. Giving one glance back, she saw the sleeping figure of Kinkajou, colours of pink, blue, and green slowly spreading in ripple patterns across a neutral grey. Moon gave a small smile at her sleeping friend.

Talons clacking along the cold stone floor, she paused. Turn left, she would be at the library, where she wouldn't bother anyone, safe, alone, and distracted with her scrolls. Turn right, she would be at Qibili (and Winter's) dorm, where she would get a hug... and someone to tell what she saw. She decided it was best for her and the future if she turned right.

A few twists and turns later, Moonwatcher found herself poking her head into the room. Winter was laying on his back, wings splattered all over the place, legs in the air. His back leg was twitching, and a light snore- along with drool- emitted from his mouth. How dignified.

Qibli wasn't much better. He slept in a way where it looked like his neck would break if turned even a little to the right. He looked guarded, in a way, but it made sense, considering who he grew up with.

Moon softly padded towards Qibli, giving his snout a smart poke with her tail. His eyes fluttered awake, and she felt the fuzziness of his mind start to clear away.

"Moon?"

"No, I'm Glory's pet sloth, Silver."

Qibli snorted, and rolled over to what could be considered a laying position.

"What's going on?"

Moonwatcher hesitated, before speaking, "I had another vision."

The sleepiness Moon sensed from his mind abruptly drew back, as did Qibli when he heard her words. His face became a theatre of emotions; fear, surprise, uneasiness, and panic washed over him before they resolved into a perfect, blank canvas.

"What did you see?" asked Qibli tentatively, almost daring himself to.

Moon fidgeted with her talons before speaking.

"I'm not sure... but, I think... it was an assassination plot..."

"WHA-" Qibli almost shouted, but was cut off by a pair of black talons wrapping around his snout, effectively shushing him. Qibli's eyes remained bulging, and Moon could hear his brain racing with a million different questions all directed at her, but the two remained perfectly serene from an outside point of view.

The two stood frozen where they were, only daring to look with side glances at the Icewing Prince sleeping not even 3 finks away.

His snore was only lightly interrupted as he snorted. Subconsciously, he used his back leg to scratch his tail... before rolling over onto the colder side of the rock slab. He slept like a polar bear.

Moon breathed out a sigh of relief, and let go of Qibli's snout. She really did not want to deal with a grumpy, "beauty sleep" deprived Winter at the moment.

"I thought," whisper-shouted Qibli, "I thought it was all over! We saved the world already..."

Moonwatcher's eyes saddened. She knew they shouldn't have had to deal with all of it, but fate seemed particularly cruel this century. They were too young- not even adults yet.

"But there's more now, I guess.." she said, voice almost lost among the darkness of the cave. She sounded so broken, Qibli couldn't help but wrap his wings around her in a hug.

It'll be okay Moon, thought Qibli subconsciously. Moon knew he didn't think of her hearing it, but it still provided her with comfort- if not more.